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... two superpowers on the soil of this once aggressive power made the division of Germany a matter of assurance and of danger to neighbouring nations. Yet the desire for unification among West Germans provided their 'constitution' with this temporary name, the Basic Law, and every federal government had a Minister for All-German Affairs. Transcending the symbolism of division evident in the 200 miles of wall surrounding West Berlin, or the more than 1,000 miles of barbed wire, death strips, and dogs just inside the East German border was a 17th June Federal Republic national holiday commemorating a 1953 uprising in East Berlin, and the plight of relatives 'over there', which was a standard topic of conversation. When Western attempts to reduce social services were entertained, political pressure groups reminded decision-makers of the resultant propaganda benefit for the eastern regime, and ingenuity maintained communications across the barrier. Although the possibility had been discussed, ...